A Radically Different Plan for the Cowboys

Here is what I would do if I were GM. It is radically different than what we'll likely see from Valley Ranch.

1. I'd have absorbed the necessary big hit in salary cap and gotten my books in order so that the future is clean. What's happening now with all these renegotiations is going to bleed us for years to come. And indeed I'd go further, in clearing out aging and dead wood (Austin, Free, etc)

2. If I could get somebody's 1, 2 and 3 for Romo --slightly less than has been suggested--I'd do that.

3. I'd make everybody angry and unhappy about the '13 season, but the team would be far better in the longterm. Without Romo we would be a 3-13 team. That's perfect.

4. I'd be willing to stink in 2013. I'd WANT to stink in 2013. Then next March we snag the pick of the litter of the young QBs. We'd have a high 2, a high 3, etc.

Consider where my plan would seat us:
-We'd have 3 premium picks from our trading partner.
-We'd have a top 3 or top 4 pick in the 2014 draft to get our QB because of 2013 suckage.
-We'd have lots of money to spend in future free agency, or to extend our own stars before they whiffed free agency.

I would miss Romo but you don't want to give a MASSIVE contract to a guy of his age...esp. when the cap situation already sucks. And hey...I'm a Romo fan.

Any plan that's based around sucking and tanking in the immediate future is ridiculous for where this team is right now. They are only a few pieces away from making a run, and they've already gotten younger and better over the last 2 offseasons. Trading Romo for draft picks that might be busts is ridiculous at this point. Maybe when he's washed up, but not now. That's just silly.

The NFL is a buisness and the Cowboys will want to generate revenue and fill that stadium, and they won't do that by doing the above. Really what team ever has done that? You have no idea how the books look or what kind of profit this team generates yearly. So to claim the books are not "right" is hogwash. Maybe you don't like how the cap is managed or how it looks right now, but you really don't have any idea what it will look like in the future or what contracts or players will be released next year. This isn't a black and white thing it has many moving parts to it period. You let all those players go and you still have to replace them and you have to replace them using the "cap". People get so hung up on this cap thing and it's really nonsense. Adam and Xwalker have done an awesome job at keeping everyone informed about how the cap will look. I will trust Stephen Jones on this, why? Because he is one of the best in the business and if he says it isn't a big deal I believe him. This team has always found ways to make it work and they always will.

Here is what I would do if I were GM. It is radically different than what we'll likely see from Valley Ranch.

1. I'd have absorbed the necessary big hit in salary cap and gotten my books in order so that the future is clean. What's happening now with all these renegotiations is going to bleed us for years to come. And indeed I'd go further, in clearing out aging and dead wood (Austin, Free, etc)

2. If I could get somebody's 1, 2 and 3 for Romo --slightly less than has been suggested--I'd do that.

3. I'd make everybody angry and unhappy about the '13 season, but the team would be far better in the longterm. Without Romo we would be a 3-13 team. That's perfect.

4. I'd be willing to stink in 2013. I'd WANT to stink in 2013. Then next March we snag the pick of the litter of the young QBs. We'd have a high 2, a high 3, etc.

Consider where my plan would seat us:
-We'd have 3 premium picks from our trading partner.
-We'd have a top 3 or top 4 pick in the 2014 draft to get our QB because of 2013 suckage.
-We'd have lots of money to spend in future free agency, or to extend our own stars before they whiffed free agency.

I would miss Romo but you don't want to give a MASSIVE contract to a guy of his age...esp. when the cap situation already sucks. And hey...I'm a Romo fan.

Great post. I agree with it completely, although I don't think we would be a 3-13 team.

So we trade Romo, but keep Witten and Ware around for a season that would be miserable for them? If you're gonna trade Romo, then you're gonna have to trade Witten and Ware too. This plan of yours isn't gonna win us a Super Bowl anytime soon and Witten and Ware deserve to at least win one so you might as well trade them to a contender because they don't deserve to suffer through a 3-13 season.

So we trade Romo, but keep Witten and Ware around for a season that would be miserable for them? If you're gonna trade Romo, then you're gonna have to trade Witten and Ware too. This plan of yours isn't gonna win us a Super Bowl anytime soon and Witten and Ware deserve to at least win one so you might as well trade them to a contender because they don't deserve to suffer through a 3-13 season.

I agree with that, they do deserve to win one but I don't think this team is anywhere close to making a run. I wouldn't be against trading Ware for several picks either. He could go to a super bowl caliber team and we can start rebuilding ours for the future instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul every year. 17 years with 1 playoff win is pathetic.

The Bills will pony up a first for Romo...that organization is desperate.

Same goes for the Cards who remember how prolific their offense was with a QB.

You can probably get both to offer a conditional for 2014 as well.

If Romo works out and Mallett fails, you still have your own high pick (you presume) and the other team's (first or second) in 2014. Meanwhile you can draft one of the guards and dlineman this year in the first which gives you a nice core to work with.

I'm pretty open minded about taking a step or three back in order to move forward in a much better position to win a title, but I'd be very reluctant to trade a franchise caliber QB. You could spend 20 years or more looking for another.

I'm pretty open minded about taking a step or three back in order to move forward in a much better position to win a title, but I'd be very reluctant to trade a franchise caliber QB. You could spend 20 years or more looking for another.

I'm pretty open minded about taking a step or three back in order to move forward in a much better position to win a title, but I'd be very reluctant to trade a franchise caliber QB. You could spend 20 years or more looking for another.

That is funny.. you are so torn. You know we desperately need to beef up the lines before we will have a chance to go anywhere (Even with a franchise qb) yet you love Romo so much you can't stomach trading him. This is where your head has to make the decision and not your heart. Jerry makes decisions with his heart and that is why we have been pathetic for 17 years.

Any plan that's based around sucking and tanking in the immediate future is ridiculous for where this team is right now. They are only a few pieces away from making a run, and they've already gotten younger and better over the last 2 offseasons. Trading Romo for draft picks that might be busts is ridiculous at this point. Maybe when he's washed up, but not now. That's just silly.

It is fair to say that the plan outlined has no guarantee of a championship in the near future. That's fair.

It's also fair to say that if we keep Romo, there is no guarantee of a championship. That is also fair.

I am not in favor of paying a ridiculous contract but I'm certain we probably will. It is what it is.

This is how I feel as well. Thing is, what we have been doing for a very long time hasn't worked for us. So I feel it is time to move the pieces around. With that said, I know we will stick to the status quo.

This is how I feel as well. Thing is, what we have been doing for a very long time hasn't worked for us. So I feel it is time to move the pieces around. With that said, I know we will stick to the status quo.

We are going to stick with what we have and give Romo alot of money. Don't ask me if that is the correct thing to do because I don't know. I'm like you though, I have never thought of us as a 3 or even 5 win team without Romo, we would do better than that.........

We are going to stick with what we have and give Romo alot of money. Don't ask me if that is the correct thing to do because I don't know. I'm like you though, I have never thought of us as a 3 or even 5 win team without Romo, we would do better than that.........

On average we've been about a 10-6 team over the 6 years Romo has started for most of the games. So say we only drop an extra 3-4 games (instead of 6-7), then we will be 6-10 or 7-9. That does not get us into elite QB drafting range.